Alexander Otsuka

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[Timbo Slice]

Will go back to watch some of the older BattlArts stuff since it's been a while, but I think he merits inclusion if you base this on in-ring work as much as a lot of us are. He was a fantastic wrestler for the style he worked. Has a shot of making my list.

[Graham Crackers]

When I saw Tamura squash him in U-STYLE it actually made me a little sad. I mean, I knew it wouldn't be even but Otsuka is a longtime personal favorite of mine. I wanted to believe, damn it! He's one of my favorite mat wrestlers of all time and it's a shame that he's never been better recognized for it outside of his niche.

 

Very eclectic wrestler who mixes amateur wrestling, shoot style, lucha, and AJPW style headdrops. Top half lock for me.

[shoe]

I'm a mark for Otsuka. He seemed so legit in the ring. It was helped by his style. I also thought he had a killer look too.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

Otsuka is who I'll be looking at next. I know nothing about him, so it would be great if someone could drop some recs, not necessarily just his best stuff, but a good representation of his work.

[dawho5]

vs. Ikeda 4/26/99 is on youtube, hits a lot of the right notes for me. They work all the different stuff that makes BatBat great, including lucha dives, giant swings and ridiculously stiff headbutts.

[Graham Crackers]

1997

 

Otsuka vs Daisuke Ikeda Battlarts 11/5/97 - Sick match.

 

1998

 

Otsuka vs Yuki Ishikawa Battlarts 1/20/98 - Their best match against each other.

 

2000

 

Otsuka vs Naoyuki Taira Battlarts 5/11/00

 

2001

 

Hashimoto/Otsuka vs Misawa/Ogawa NOAH 1/13/01 - Sadly Otsuka is portrayed as the lowest ranked guy in this match.

Otsuka/Tiger Mask IV vs Malenko/Hidaka Battlarts 2/13/01 - Great Battlarts tag where Otsuka is the star of the show.

Otsuka vs Takashi Sugiura Zero1 4/18/01 - Brutal headbutts and some great grappling.

 

2004

 

Otsuka vs Hiroyuki Ito U-STYLE 8/18/04 - Awesome shoot style match.

Otsuka vs Tamura U-STYLE 8/18/04 - This is practically a squash match but it's not bad. Tamura looks great and it's easy to imagine that they could have had a good competitive match by how well their styles match up, however briefly, in this match.

 

2005

 

Otsuka vs Yuki Ishikawa BML 9/11/05 - This is always a great match-up.

 

2007

 

Ishikawa/Otsuka vs Ikeda/Hara Battlarts 7/21/07

 

2008

 

Otsuka vs Yuki Ishikawa Real Japan 6/18/08 - Short match but really fun. Like a good TV match.

Ishikawa/Otsuka/Sawa vs Ikeda/Usuda/Super Tiger II Battlarts 7/26/08 - One of the best Battlarts style matches

 

2009

 

Otsuka vs Yuki Ishikawa Battlarts 1/10/09 - B Rules match (all grappling)

Otsuka vs Yujiro Yamamoto Battlarts 2/15/09 - Terrific Otsuka showcase against a game younger opponent

Otsuka vs Super Tiger II Real Japan 3/1/09

Otsuka vs Daisuke Sekimoto IGF 3/15/09 - It's cool to see Otsuka take on a powerhouse. More of a series of good ideas as opposed to a good match.

Otsuka vs Akira Shoji Real Japan 9/11/09

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

Thanks so much. This should prove most helpful.

[Alan4L]

Love the 97 Ikeda match. Otsuka was a fearless pro wrestler, not because of crazy bumps or anything but because he had no fear in terms of experimenting with different ideas and stuff jn his matches.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

I watched all the recommended matches that I could find (which was most of them), plus a few other bits and bobs, and here are my impressions of Otsuka:

 

Pros

• He seems to be a very versatile wrestler. I saw him in a lot of different situations, and he didn't seem out of place in any of them. This includes working a pseudo-death match against Matsunaga, working as a dick heel against Masato Tanaka, working on-top in matches, and working as an underdog.
• My favourite Otsuka was getting his ass kicked Otsuka, and that's because I found him to be a very good and charismatic seller.
• Very good working the mat. Knew how to keep things interesting.
• I love his moveset. I love that he uses a giant swing in a shoot-style setting. As Alan said, fearless in that he'll try anything. It didn't always work, but he was open to trying it.
• I thought he was good at getting the most out of his opponents, while also making himself stand out. I think he was a very smart worker in that sense. Even in that NOAH tag where he was the lesser guy, he was doing stuff to stand out, like shit-talking Misawa after throwing an elbow. But then he would also bring lesser opponents up to his level.

Cons

• I didn't always feel like his matches were structured as well as they could have been. I'm not really used to shoot-style wrestling, and had seen no BattlArts before this, so it could just be something I'm not used to, or in tune with, but certain ways the matches would ebb and flow didn't feel right to me.
• The finishes to his matches sometimes left me feeling a bit let down. Like, they built to something, but then didn't deliver. That 97 Ikeda match, for example, saw Otsuka taking a huge shit-kicking, but teasing that he had a chance if he could connect with a strike. I was really into that, but the pay-off didn't match the build, as Otsuka ended up winning via suplex-spamming.

These aren't huge issues for me, as I enjoyed most of the matches anyway. The Sekimoto was probably the weakest match, as they just didn't seem to mesh all that well, but I thought everything else was at least good. Oh, the Super Tiger wasn't all that either, thinking about it. I really liked the Sugiura match, and the way it escalated from some pretty spirited grappling into them just headbutting the shit out of each other. The Yamamoto match was choice too. I can't say for sure if he'll make my 100 or not yet. I would probably need to see more of the style to have a better idea of where he fits in amongst his contemporaries, but I'm certainly not ruling him out, and would say right now he stands a decent chance of featuring. Thanks again for the match recs.

[Jetlag]

 

That 97 Ikeda match, for example, saw Otsuka taking a huge shit-kicking, but teasing that he had a chance if he could connect with a strike. I was really into that, but the pay-off didn't match the build, as Otsuka ended up winning via suplex-spamming.

 

Otsuka's gimmick was that he didn't have any devastating strikes, so he would just dump you on your head until you stayed down. The match had a theme of a lower ranked guy rising up the ranks vs. established star, so naturally Otsuka would upset the renowned mauler Ikeda with some strikes of his own, but in the end it was clear he didn't have the same firepower as Ikeda so he switched to the "nuke it with suplexes" tactic. Pretty cool story I thought and the match was pretty epic and had a bit of an AJPWish "super finish" moment.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

It just seemed like they were teasing Otsuka landing a sneaky knock-out shot, and the finish they went with seemed incongruous. I kind of feel like Otsuka might have sold the beating a bit too well then, if that makes sense. It was an awesome sell job, but then the finish was off.

[Dylan Waco]

I watched some Otsuka for the first time in forever today and man alive does he stand out as someone who is unfairly "lost" due to timing and the wrestling landscape he worked in. I'd go so far as to say that in terms of natural talent and range there probably aren't twenty guys in wrestling history I'd rate above him. He appears completely comfortable in virtually any setting, whether he's selling, delivering offense, working comedy spots, working the mat, et. Watching the 4/99 match v. Ikdea it felt like I was watching the Cesaro v. Cena Raw match from last year everyone wents nus for - fifteen years before those two guys did it. That Matsunaga match is also brilliant in it's own way and people should seek it out. It's strange because generally speaking I am a pro-formula guy, and I value innovation less than almost any trait I can think of, but Otsuka comes across as an extremely progressive wrestler in the context of that time. Hell you could dump peak-era Otsuka into today's wrestling world and he'd feel progressive and exciting by comparison to 99% of the guys currently wrestling. I've been struggling to try and find someone to compare him to, but I just can't think of anyone. Mostly I hope the anti-shootstyle votes give him a chance because he was a GREAT pro-style worker and shootstyle worker.

[soup23]

In chronicling the 90s, these four guys have had the biggest rep bump in my eyes. Onita, tamura, Waltman, and Otsuka. Otsuka feels like a guaranteed top fifty candidate for me and really varies the style which is refreshing in the Battlarts landscape.

[elliott]

I've been struggling to try and find someone to compare him to, but I just can't think of anyone.

 

Late 70s-early 80s Fujinami maybe? Just in the ability to have really good and different matches with a diverse set of opponents while incorporating little bits of different styles of wrestling and making them his own. It's been a long time since I've watched Otsuka and I'm watching early 80s Fujinami in bulk for the first time these days. So this may be off.

 

I imagine you've rewatched some Ikeda and Ishikawa while revisiting Otsuka. Any thoughts on how they look compared to Otsuka?

[Childs]

I'd say he was kookier and more adventurous than Fujinami. Otsuka was great at working the savage, BattlArts style, but he was also just a hell of a lot of fun with the way he peppered in random stuff from other styles. One of the most unique workers ever. He'll definitely make my list.

[GOTNW]

I'm having trouble figuring out should I take his terrible comedy matches into account and if so how much. I figure he'd still be in my top half somewhere based on the strength of his best performances.

[elliott]

Talk about a wrestler who could do everything. Otsuka is the guy. Ever see a violent giant swing before Otsuka? Just the man.  

[DylanZero]

I forgot who said it, but I remember them saying when they got into BattlArts, that Ikeda and Ishikawa got all the hype but watching them Otsuka and Carl Greco was who you wanted to see more of. And I agree with that. (Not saying I'm voting Otsuka over Ishikawa but just that he pops off in a way a lot of guys don't RIGHT AWAY). He made my list last time in the mid tier and I don't see anything changing that. We all need more Otsuka in our lives.

[Cap]

I've really enjoyed what I have seen from Otsuka. He has some high end singles matches. I need to dig in a bit more, especially to the tags before I can say for sure, but he has a shot at the back 1/3rd of my list I think.

[elliott]

On some early match lists before he became a more established figure he was listed as "Axe Thunder Otsuka" this has to be worth moving up one spot alone. 

If I could only watch one match for the rest of my life, i might pick the match against Matsunaga. 

[Cap]

2 hours ago, elliott said:

On some early match lists before he became a more established figure he was listed as "Axe Thunder Otsuka" this has to be worth moving up one spot alone. 

If I could only watch one match for the rest of my life, i might pick the match against Matsunaga. 

You have turned me onto a lot of matches, but that is one of the absolute best.

[ohtani's jacket]

I don't get Otsuka. Everybody loves him. I feel like I wasn't invited to the party. 

[elliott]

I rated Otsuka 56th in 2016 and I fucking blew it with that one. He's a top 20 contender for me. I've never seen an Otsuka match I haven't enjoyed. He's as likely to cave in your skull with a headbutt as do a giant swing. One second you might see some crazy shoot style mat work and the next he's doing a tope con hilo. Has the input, the output, is as unique as anyone of his generation. The Matsunaga match is otherworldly. I have been a huge fan of BattlArts since I first saw it and Otsuka has been my favorite since day 1. Probably my favorite wrestler of the last 25 years. 

[KB8]

I had Otsuka at 52 in 2016 and he'll likely move into that top half in 2026. Probably my least favourite of the four Battlarts godkings (Ishikawa/Ikeda/Otsuka/Ono), but then that's like saying he's the least favourite of my four children (I have no children but I assume I would love them all very much and in actual fact probably wouldn't have a "least favourite" at all?). He's probably one of the most unique wrestlers ever, and while I get that some people might find him sort of kooky, especially for a shoot style or shoot style hybrid promotion, there's something about him in Battlarts that just feels right. I'm still not sure I've actually seen that Matsunaga match. 

 

ALEXANDER OTSUKA YOU SHOULD WATCH:

w/Yuki Ishikawa v Daisuke Ikeda & Takeshi Ono (Battlarts, 10/30/96)

v Daisuke Ikeda (Battlarts, 11/5/97)

v Yuki Ishikawa (Battlarts, 1/20/98)

v Naoyuki Taira (Battlarts, 5/11/00)

w/Yuki Ishikawa & Munenori Sawa v Daisuke Ikeda, Super Tiger II & Katsumi Usuda (Battlarts, 7/26/08)